Cookie Dough Blondies are the things that dreams are made of: mind-blowing decadence, guilt-free ingredients and so easy! Ten ingredients, ten minutes to prep and fifteen minutes to bake. Oh yeah, this dream is coming true!

Cookie Dough Blondies

The Haves and the Have Nots

These Blondies taste . . . well, like chocolate chip cookie dough. That butter-meets-vanilla-meets-brown sugar goodness, with pops of chocolate throughout! With a soft melt in your mouth texture (just like cookie dough), it will be an exercise in self-control to stop eating them. But you really don’t need to worry too much about that. Like all of my recipes these Blondies are gluten-free, plant-based/vegan, and refined sugar-free, a beautiful start to my healthier blondie.

Soy-free and nut-free are on the list too, but it doesn’t stop there. Thanks to my secret ingredient they are also a great source of fiber, plant-based protein and complex carbohydrates. Are you smiling from ear to ear?! The whole batch has only 1/2 cup of milled grain.

Cookie Dough Blondies – White Beans

The Secret Ingredient

One night I was doing some recipe development for main dishes with beans — white beans to be specific. They are, after all, on the who’s your daddy (or mommy) list of heavy hitters for plant-based protein. I tasted the beans straight up prior to beginning. This is my recipe development equivalent to warming up before exercising. Trying to assess what savory spices would best compliment their flavor I couldn’t help but think that their creamy, smooth buttery taste and texture would be delicious as a base for a dessert. As they say, the rest is history–and in my belly!

And hey, my secret is your secret! No one will ever know there are beans in this blondie. (By the way, if you are looking for another recipe with a secret/undetectable ingredient, try my Fudgy Avocado Cookies or my Creamy Avocado Fudge!)

Cookie Dough Blondies – Beans and Flax Egg

Cookie Dough Blondies – Dough Mixture

Cookie Dough Blondies – Ready to Bake

Cookie Dough Blondies

I used Great Northern beans as my white bean for this recipe. I have not tried replacing them with Cannellini beans, but I think they should be a viable substitute. I love the soft cookie dough like texture of the Blondies, but if that doesn’t suit your preference feel free to add a couple of minutes on to my recommended cooking time. I took them out of the oven when they had just started to crack on top and a toothpick when inserted came out clean. After you remove them from the oven you have a big decision to make. You can leave the pretty little chips dancing on top or you can take a spatula (while they are still hot) and gently spread them making a nice thin chocolate frosting.

Cookie Dough Blondies are the things that dreams are made of: mind-blowing decadence, guilt-free ingredients and so easy! Ten ingredients, ten minutes to prep and fifteen minutes to bake. Oh yeah, this dream is coming true!

1 15 oz. can or 1 1/2 cups great northern beans (rinsed and drained - cannellini may be substituted)

1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 tablespoons coconut oil (I used refined)

2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon baking powder (I use aluminum free)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt finely ground

2/3 cup mini vegan chocolate chips, divided (I use Enjoy LIfe)

Instructions

1) Mix together golden flaxseed meal and 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl and set aside. Rinse and drain beans.

2) For the following steps I used a food processor but a blender can be substituted if necessary. Combine beans and flax egg in food processor and pulse or blend for several seconds until broken down (see picture in post). Add gluten-free oat flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, coconut palm sugar, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Blend until smooth (about 1 to 2 minutes).

3) If using a food processor remove blade. If using a blender pour batter into a bowl. Mix in 1/2 cup of mini vegan chocolate chips. Once chips are mixed in, pour batter into a greased or parchment lined 8 inch by 8 inch pan (I greased my pan). Sprinkle remaining chips on top. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-18 minutes until blondies begin to show signs of cracking and a toothpick inserted and removed is clean. If you prefer a drier blondie you my extend the cooking time by 2 to 3 minutes. You can leave the chocolate chips as is on top or you can take a spatula (while they are still hot) and gently spread them making a nice thin chocolate frosting. Allow to cool before cutting. May be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for a couple of days or longer if refrigerated.

Hi Maleria, Congratulations on your decision to embark on a vegan/plant-based diet! Since eating is something that we do several times every day of our life, it has great impact. While its fundamental purpose is to sustain us physically, it also satisfies socio-emotional needs by bringing us pleasure and providing us a means to commune with friends and family. Changes to our personal food paradigm can be a challenge and far reaching, so as you said the key word is “transitioning”. While some people do well with changing everything all at once, a gentle, slow, methodical approach also works very well. I don’t think that pressure or guilt are effective conduits of change. In my humble opinion my suggestions would be:

First, divide your overall desired diet change into smaller manageable goals that you can implement one at a time for a couple of weeks each before moving on to the next;

Second, remind yourself often of why you have made this decision. Whether for kindness to yourself through better health, or to animals or to the environment or all of the above. I like to read books about the subject matter as I feel more inspired after being reminded of all of the benefits;

Third, identify what you miss most about your old way of eating and find similar substitutes. For me, I didn’t miss meat but really had a hard time giving up cheese so I have found vegan cheese products and created recipes that are vegan versions of traditional cheese based recipes. Now I don’t feel like I am missing anything!

Lastly, I would say it’s helpful to reach out to people in a similar situation to share experiences and encouragement — like you are doing here! I hope this helps and thanks so much for reaching out! Jana 🙂